The Sprout

Fighting Climate Change in Botley on 29th February

The newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Issue 144 February 2020

ABC

Association for

Botley Communities

Children’s play activities and face painting

Seed planting and plant swap

‘Give and take’ - bring your unwanted books,

music and clothing

‘Dr. Bike’ cycle maintenance

Entertainment, Photobooth, food and drink

Short talks on what we can do in our homes

and our community

The Botley and North Hinksey ‘Big Green Day’

Saturday Feb. 29th 10.30am – 4pm

Better Botley, better planet!

Activities will include

More information at: https://leap-into-action.eventbrite.co.uk

The Sprout

Issue 144, February 2020

Contents

3 Letters to the Editor

5 Leap into Action

9 Taekwondo for everyone

13 the First Cumnor Hill

17 Dance-outs and Saturdads

19 Planning Applications

21 Eating to Save the Planet

Brownies Christmas Treats

25 Botley Babies and Toddlers

27 Our New Community Hall

31 Recycling Properly

35 Friendly Running Group

37 Scouts festive fun

41 Randoms

43 Local organizations

From the Editor

Welcome to the first Sprout of 2020! As befits a decade in which there is

everything to play for on the climate front, this month’s offering has

several articles designed to help us get into gear. Recycling properly (p

31) shows how to make your recycling effective. Eating to Save the Planet

(p21) is an account of the third talk in Low Carbon West Oxford’s series

Act Now. (The fourth will be on Avoiding Waste on 8th February.) LCWO is

a priceless local resource, as is the waste-busting Oxford Foodbank.

They will both have stalls at ‘Leap Into Action’, Botley’s Big Green Day on

29th Feb (p5) when we can find out what’s being done locally, and what

might be done. It will take place in Ss P &P Church Hall and at Botley’s

snazzy new Community Hub, which opened its doors to the public on

25th February (p27) with a display by clubs and groups that meet there.

What else? An informal running group (p35) a choir (p35), and family-

friendly Taekwondo (p9). Also worth reading is Malcolm Graham’s latest

look at the stages by which Botley developed into the place we know and

love – the route of the main road out of town before Cumnor Hill took its

familiar shape. It sheds light on the anomaly of Y-shaped end of North

Hinksey Lane – the eastern arm’s not N Hinksey Lane at all, but the first

section of the original main road from Oxford to Faringdon.

Ag MacKeith

Letters to the Editor

Same sex marriages in churches

It was heart-warming to read in the Sprout about Cumnor URC's

decision to register same-sex marriages. Quakers have been

sanctifying same-sex marriages since 2014 at our Meeting House at 43

St Giles. Our belief is that marriages are 'made by God' and 'we are but

witnesses'. At a Quaker wedding everyone present signs the certificate

to name all the witnesses. We are legally allowed to register our own

weddings and that is probably why Cumnor can claim to be the first in

2017, while we were entitled to do so as soon as the law changed – but

it isn't a competition and it is lovely to hear about their registration and

the plaque.

Anne Watson and John Mason

Stream restored

The Sprout may like to note that the original freshwater stream that

flowed from Conduit House down Harcourt Hill through North Hinksey

Village to provide fresh water for the city of Oxford at the Carfax

fountain has now been restored,

The pipe that brought it under the

A34 had got completely blocked up

over the years, until three years

ago it finally stopped flowing. This

led to the field south of the A34

becoming partly waterlogged.

Following repeated requests from

locals over many months, during

the closure of the northbound A34

on November 9, engineers took the

opportunity to clear the pipe and

the water began to flow freely

again.

Chris Sugden

[Congratulations, Chris, that all

your hard work got such a good

result in the end. Editor]

LEAP INTO ACTION!

Botley and North Hinksey

‘Big Green Day’

When the Parish Council declared a climate

emergency, nearly a year ago, there was

some doubt about what we could actually

do. Parish councils, the lowest tier of the democratic system, don’t have

much power beyond allotments and playing fields. One thing we can do, we

agreed, was help people get active and share information. At an early

meeting of the PC’s new Environment Committee, we agreed to pull

together all the examples we could find of work by local people and

organisations to tackle climate change and share them at a Big Green Day

of Action.

2020 is a Leap Year, and Feb 29th looked like a day to remember, so that

was a good day for us. We have teamed up with the Association for Botley

Communities, booked the new Seacourt Hall and Ss P&P church hall and

invite you to join us there from 11am to 4pm. There will be stalls offering

ideas and information on what we can do to protect and improve our

environment, as well as some short talks and question-and-answer

sessions. There will be a couple of well-known speakers – watch for news

on this.

There will be plenty happening in both halls, including play activities for

children and face painting, and some great food. If you’ve got your seeds

off to an early start and have plants to spare, bring them along – there’ll be

a plant and seed swap event. We are also hoping to have a big ‘bring and

take’ element where you can bring your unwanted books, clothes and more

and then take away whatever others have brought that looks useful to you.

‘Doctor Bike’ will be holding a clinic where you can get your bike back into

working order or simply tuned up for spring.

We’ll invite you to join the Parish Council in agreeing to play a part in

tackling climate change, and there’ll be a special ‘photo booth’ where you

can make your own commitment and take a photo away to remind you of

your pledge. You can also record your own contribution on a big map,

based on the one that records all Oxford’s efforts to fend off climate change

that you can find on the People’s Power Station (https://peoples

powerstation.org/) showing what’s happening locally. The Sprout will have

a stall where the people who’ve written articles over the years can share

ideas and answer questions about what they’ve done and how it worked.

At the end of the day (from 3–4pm) we will be holding a ‘mini-conference’.

We will draw together the ideas and commitments from the day and look at

how the Parish Council can support local people in making the changes we

will all need to tackle in the years ahead.

We will also draw up and agree a message from local people to our MP, to

government ministers and even to the UN climate conference that will take

in the UK later this year. We may only have a small voice, but if we make a

noise together we are more likely to be heard.

This is all about creating a better future, and there’s a lot of groups already

working for a better Botley in their own ways, whether it’s through working

with young people, sports or creative arts. Leap Into Action invites every

Botley and North Hinksey community group to come along and have a stall,

to share what you are doing and to encourage people to get involved in

your work. We need people to help plan and run the day. If you would like

to help make this happen please do get in touch. There’s more information

at https://leap-into-action.eventbrite.co.uk and if you’d like to help in any

way please contact me, as chair of NHPC’s Environment Committee:

chrischurch@cooptel.net

Chris Church

Not just for kids!

Cat – mum of two – says this:

Taekwondo in Botley is a family affair!

If you’re a parent wanting to get fit after Christmas excesses but not

sure how, you may be feeling like I did back in 2015. The only exercise I

was getting on weekday evenings was the treadmill of pick-up,

homework, dinner, cubs/swimming/football/insert any childhood activity

here. Long gone were the days when I would pop to the gym for an hour

or two – and to be honest, gym is boring! I wanted to do something new,

something fun, and ideally something that was local – NO DRIVING!

I took a look in the Sprout to see what was available, and on the back

page found that West Oxford Taekwondo Club ran sessions on

Mondays and Thursdays at Matthew Arnold School. I texted Chris Hall,

who runs the club, and on a cold blustery evening, rocked up to MA

School for my first session. Feeling like I needed some moral support, I

dragged my eldest son Fraser with me (really he dragged me).

The class was full of both adults and children, ranging from white belts

(beginners) through to black belts

(very good!). It was a lovely family

atmosphere and everyone made

us feel welcome. The class starts

with a warm up and then moves on

to line work (everyone lined up in

rows, kicking and striking in

formation). After this there are

patterns (my absolute favourite),

kicking circles, board breaking

(only for grown-ups, and SO

MUCH FUN), some self-defence,

and finally, sparring. Back then,

Fraser couldn’t wait to get sparring,

but I was very nervous. Chris

explained that sparring was ‘tag’

contact only in his class, or ‘play-

fighting’. I wasn’t sure I believed

him, but I gave it a try and he was

right – it was a lot better than I

expected. I went home buzzing,

and couldn’t wait for the next

session (although the next morning

I could barely walk…) Four years

later, I’m hooked – sufficiently so

that my husband frequently refers

to me as ‘Taekwondo nerd.’ Both of

my sons now train with me at least

once a week, and for some reason

relish the opportunity to get one

over on their Mum during sparring.

We’ve also made some great

friends, and the club has lots of

social events throughout the year. I

love practising my patterns (like

‘kata’ in Karate) and as a present last year, my husband made me

something called a ‘breaking horse’, which is a stand for holding boards

for breaking. More than anything though, I feel fitter and stronger. So, if

you’re thinking ‘Now’s the time to try something new’, or if you want to

reclaim some of your fitness in 2020, I can really recommend it!

Fraser says: I’ve been doing Taekwondo for four years. I started going

because I didn’t know any martial arts and I wanted to learn some self-

defence. I think the club is brilliant for beginners, because they are fair

and want you to do well. My favourite bit of Taekwondo is that you’re

never sitting down and not doing something – there’s always an

opportunity to be involved. I enjoy sparring because you get to express

all the things you’ve learnt and practise them properly, but my favourite

is the games we sometimes play to improve our reflexes in a fun way.

Dougie says: In Taekwondo I like sparring and doing patterns.

Sometimes they make us do one pattern as a race, but I prefer doing it

slowly! I also like playing games, especially ‘murder ball’ which isn’t as

bad as it sounds!

West Oxford Taekwondo Club numbers are about 15-20, but there are a

lot of senior grades now, so we would definitely benefit from some new

junior members. You’ll be given a warm welcome. And then a seriously

fun workout! If you’re tempted the first session is free, so definitely worth

a go! Call Oxford 570291 or visit www.wotkd.org.uk for details.

Cat (40), Fraser (10) and Dougie (8)

The First Cumnor Hill

Botley is now firmly locked into the national road network, and under

threat from a proposed Oxford–Cambridge Expressway, but it was once

a much quieter place. Until the mid-18th century, most long-distance

traffic from Oxford to Gloucester and beyond left by the Woodstock

Road and headed west through Bladon towards Witney. Traffic for

Bristol and the south-west went via Abingdon Road and Foxcombe Hill

towards Faringdon. Botley offered no realistic alternative to these

routes. The Botley causeway, built or upgraded in the 16th century,

provided a link with Oxford across the Thames floodplain, but it was just

14 feet wide – the western end still survives in Old Botley behind

McDonald’s – and it was in poor repair. In 1751, the ancient horse road

over Wytham Hill to Eynsham was said to be in so bad a state that

‘Travellers on Horseback cannot, especially in the winter season, pass

through the same without great danger.’ West of Botley, lanes from

Botley Pound and Dean Court climbed steeply to Chawley and Cumnor,

but served only local needs.

By 1770, turnpike roads had transformed this situation. Road

improvement in 18th century England depended on the work of turnpike

trusts, bodies established by Act of Parliament to manage sections of

the road network and to raise money for improvements through tolls.

The horse road over Wytham Hill to Eynsham and Witney was first

turnpiked in 1751, and a toll-

gate was erected in Botley at

the western end of the Botley

causeway. Proposals from the

mid-1750s to upgrade this

road for use by carriages led

eventually to an Act of

Parliament in 1767 setting up

the Botley and Newland

Turnpike Trust. Botley Road

was widened to 30 feet and

what is now West Way was

formed to bypass Botley

village. A new toll-house was

erected east of Osney Bridge

to collect tolls from road users.

In August 1769, the Stroudwater coach was the first to use the new

route, heading over Wytham Hill to Lord Abingdon’s new Swinford

Bridge.

The 1767 Act also required the trust to improve the road from Botley to

Fyfield and, in April, contractors were asked to send in proposals for

making this a turnpike road 30 feet wide. The most striking feature of

this improvement was a completely new carriage road up Cumnor Hill,

beginning just west of Botley Mill and passing south of Botley village;

the initial section survives as the link road between West Way and North

Hinksey Lane. [Looking towards town in photo, and known as Old Road

on pre-Google maps.] This road climbed up to Hurst Lane, where part

survives as an unmade track, before bypassing Chawley and crossing

Cumnor’s common fields on the way to Besselsleigh (see map below).

The first Cumnor Hill was

certainly in use by

August 1770 when Mr

Ridge, an Oxford baker

‘somewhat disguised by

Liquor’, was killed by a

fall from his horse while

racing his companion

down ‘the new Turnpike

Road from Cumner Hurst

to Botley.’

Mr Ridge’s unfortunate

end perhaps owed

something to the

steepness of the road,

and today’s more gently

graded Cumnor Hill was

built between 1825 and

1827.

The old road was closed on 11 April 1827 and any subsequent users

were threatened with prosecution. The central section had vanished by

1876 when a rifle range for University Volunteers occupied the site of

Hurst Rise Road. Field boundaries continued to mark other portions of

the road until 20th century housing development obliterated them.

Malcolm Graham

Dance-outs and Saturdads

Cry Havoc – a Botley-based Morris side have raised £1000 over the

past year for Botley Bridges by collecting at their dance-outs. They

presented the cheque at the

monthly Saturday Play

session for dads and their

young children at the

beginning of December. Dads

and children took part in a

dance – two children insisting

that Morris dancing could be

done on bikes!

Botley Bridges is a local

charity which was set up after

the Sure Start Children's

Centres were closed and has

continued over the past 2½

years to provide drop-in

sessions, Summer fun-in-the-

parks sessions, parenting

courses, paediatric first aid courses and advice to local families. Initial

transition funding will end in March 2020 and the service will then be

solely dependent on grants, contributions and donations. Local County

Councillors Susanna Pressel and Judy Roberts have both been very

supportive and helped financially as have Cumnor and North Hinksey

Parish Councils. Botley Bridges will need to raise £20,000 a year to

continue to provide the current level of service and the trustees are very

grateful to Cry Havoc for this donation. Over 300 local families have

used the drop-in services in the past year. Thirty-one people came to

parenting courses and forty-five took advantage of the paediatric first-

aid courses, so it is a well used service. The sessions are run from a

room at Botley School by a paid coordinator who is supported by

volunteers. One dad at the session this month said 'there are very few

opportunities for dads in the area to meet up and get to know each

other. Saturdads offers a unique event for friendships to form and for

dads to provide support to each other.’ Another dad said ' the Children's

Centre was very supportive when the twins were tiny – it's great that

Botley Bridges has continued with this good work’.

Botley   Bridges   are   always   looking   for   volunteers   so   if   you   think
supporting   families   is   important   and   have   early   years   or   play
experience   and   a   couple   of   hours   to   spare   please   contact   the
coordinator on  coordinator@botleybridges.org. Donations can also   be
made on the website http://www.botleybridges.org/donate
If you fancy trying your hand at Morris Dancing, Cry Havoc are also
looking for new dancers – so do get in touch if you would like to join
them by contacting info@cryhavoc.org.uk                                 Sue Dowe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS
P19/V3166/LDP 53   Montagu   Rd.   Loft   conversion   with
rear dormer + roof lights.
2 December
P19/V3193/HH 106E   West   Way.     Erection   of
outbuilding to be used as a home office.
5 December
P19/V3207/HH 2 Hurst Rise Rd. First floor extension to
existing single-storey dwelling. 
11 December
TDD: 5 Feb
P19/V3180/FUL 20  Eynsham   Rd.   6   flats   comprising   3
two-bed   &   3   one-bed,   self-contained
units, 
20 December
TDD: 14 Feb
P19/V3252/FUL
change   to   house
plans on application
ref. P16/V2166/FUL
34   North   Hinksey   Lane.   Variation   of
condition.   Demolish   existing   house,
erect   3   houses,   access   from   North
Hinksey Lane, parking, garages.
20 December
Target   Decision
Date 14 Feb
P19/V3278/FUL
Variation of 
Conditions on 
application 
P19/V0667/FUL
9   Eynsham   Rd.   Demolish   existing
house &  replace  with  6  two  bed flats.
Trees   retained   due   to   re-planned
parking; & re-planned unit 4 to orientate
habitable rooms towards front.
20 December
TDD: 14 Feb
P19/V3354/HH 3 Hazel Rd. Single storey extension at
the rear.
20 December
TDD:  14 Feb
P20/V0002/O The   Willows   4  Yarnells   Rd.   Demolish
existing buildings, erect single building
of eight 2-bedroom flats. 
2 January
TDD: 27 Feb
P19/V3355/HH 10 Yarnells   Rd.     Side  &  rear  2-storey
extension. P19/V3166/LDP
6 January
TDD: 2 March
11

Eating to Save the Planet

The latest workshop in Low Carbon West

Oxford’s ACT Now programme took place on

Saturday morning 11 January. ACT Now – Action

on Climate Together Now – is our current

programme to help local people reduce our

carbon emissions by taking action to maximise

energy efficiency in our everyday lives [see last

September’s Sprout]. As part of the programme,

we are running a series of Saturday meetings

and this one was on how what we eat makes a difference.

It’s complicated! was the first thing we learned, as Susan Hutchinson

gave us an overview of how various foods impact on the environment.

Cheese has quite a negative impact! The best things are locally grown

vegetables. In spring and early summer apples from New Zealand can

have less impact on the environment than British ones – because

British ones will have been kept in energy-hungry chillers, while New

Zealand apples have been transported by sea, using less energy.

Anais from Oxfordshire Community Action Groups (CAG) gave us some

surprising statistics: the average four-person household in the UK

throws away £800 of food every year. Nina from Good Food Oxford told

us about the Sugar Smart project run by Sustain (See sustainweb.org It

exists to run multiple campaigns to improve food and farming), and also

about their Food Access Alliance. They’re looking for volunteers to be

trained to teach healthy cooking skills.

It was a well attended and interesting session. ACT Now meetings are

open to everyone. People who sign up for the Programme get free

Home Energy Assessments, and small grants for improvements. And it’s

open to Botley and Hinksey residents too (subject to availability).

Forthcoming Saturday morning workshops are: Reducing Waste on 8

February – Energy Efficient Transport on 7 March – Energy Efficient

Finance on 25 April – and a session on talking about climate change

and managing emotions about it on May 9th. They are all at West

Oxford Community Centre. See you there!

Alison Mathias

Brownies get Christmas Treats

2nd Botley Brownies

enjoyed our annual trip to

the panto where the

classic story of ‘Beauty

and the Beast’ was re-told

in a somewhat

complicated yet enjoyable

way. During the interval

we made use of the

theatre’s selfie photo

frame prop “pantogram”

(see photo).

The following weekend

ten of our girls were lucky

enough to be allocated

places on our District

overnight trip to Birmingham

joining 120 other girls from

Rainbows, Brownies, Guides

and Rangers. After our

coach ride up we began our

weekend in the Legoland

Discovery Centre indoor playground where we enjoyed being giants in

the Mini-land, watching the 4D film and going on the rides. Then once

the National Sea Life Centre had closed and all the visitors had gone

home, we were given a VIP tour but not before we had crossed the

canal to eat our pizzas. The late-night tour took us to see all the

creatures including the sleeping penguins, colourful clownfish, majestic

jelly fish, Molokai the giant sea turtle and, of course, the sharks. We

slept in our sleeping bags in the Coral Caves underneath a 360 degree

ocean tunnel surrounded by strange-looking fish and the octopus. On

Sunday morning we saw the penguins up for their morning swim as we

got ready to get back onto the coaches back to Oxford.

Back at our usual meetings we finished off our Christmas preparations

by each carefully making a Christmas card using strips of ribbon to

make a tree shape and then had fun at a weekend Brownie disco.

The Owls

Botley Baby and Toddler Group

Did you know that this group at St Peter & St Paul’s hall (West Way) has

been running for over 30 years? It is open on Tuesday and Thursday

mornings, 9.30–11.00 am during term time and occasionally over the

school holidays.

The group is run by volunteers on a charitable basis, attended by not

only parents but also by other relatives and carers. It provides a large

space for children to learn through play with our great range of toys and

equipment, while they begin to socialise with others before moving onto

preschool. We welcome all under fives. Babies can play with toys on

the ‘baby mat’ or learn to walk using the push along toys. Toddlers can

practise their hand–eye co-ordination playing with the puzzles, the

playdough, the Happyland toys and expand their imagination with the

dressing up/role-play box and much more. There is something for every

child to keep them amused and challenged! For us adults, it’s a place to

catch up with friends and for new parents, carers or people just moved

to the area to get to know others with children of a similar age.

Everyone is made to feel very welcome. Sessions are reasonably priced

at £1.50 per family, which includes drinks for adults and children plus a

healthy snack.

Of course if you would like to help with the group there are many

different ways you could do this – helping with craft activities, meeting

and greeting newcomers, advertising the group, helping with the

treasurer’s job, preparing refreshments… Find us on Facebook ‘Botley

Baby & Toddler Group’ for more information or to send us a message.

The Sprout has kindly donated £200 towards the cost of some new

toys. We are extremely grateful and would like to say a very big thank-

you! Now we just need you to come along and make the most of them!

Sian Baldwin and Ann Andrews

Welcome to your new community hall

The modern and flexible Seacourt

Hall opened its doors in the new

community building in January.

The Open Day on Saturday 25th

was too late to make the print

deadline for this issue of The

Sprout but we hope you had a

chance to visit or read about it. If not, here are some details of what the

new hall offers our community.

The hall is on the ground floor with power assisted entrances at the front

and side. The Main Hall is 125 square metres with a sprung wooden floor

ideal for dance and exercise, floor to ceiling windows for maximum light and

adjustable blinds for privacy if

required.

There are two additional areas –

the Meeting Room is 50 square

metres with a vinyl floor and

windows onto the car park and

the Lounge is also 50 square

metres with carpeted floor and

access from the side of the

building. The areas can be divided

or opened up with modern ceiling-

hung dividing walls so the Meeting Room can be used as an extension of

the main hall or of the Lounge. The whole space can also be hired and is

ideal for parties or conferences.

There is a fully fitted modern

kitchen with access and serving

hatches on two sides so it can be

used with different hall layouts. We

also have plenty of toilet facilities

including accessible toilet and a

baby changing facility. The main

hall now includes a wall-mounted

large monitor generously donated

by SDC – the company building

West Way Square – to support

Branches Youth Group who

plan to hold screenings for

young people. The monitor

can also be booked by any

hall users for meeting

presentations or similar. The

hall also has an acoustic

ceiling and hearing loop

installed throughout.

Seacourt Hall is operated by a

Management Committee of

Trustees and is a registered

charity. The replacement of the old hall was a requirement of the

redevelopment of the shopping centre. The new building, also home to the

Library and the Baptist Church, is the first part of the development to open.

The new hall facilities are the result of several years of negotiations with the

developers by current and previous members of the Management

Committee who always kept the needs of our growing community at the

forefront of discussions.

We hope the new Seacourt Hall

will provide opportunities for all

members of the community –

from the youngest who may

attend the new baby and toddler

sensory classes, to the elderly

residents who can benefit from

the on-going bi-weekly Lunch

Club and new options. As well

as the existing users including

yoga, Zumba, choir and music

rehearsals, children’s dance and

sewing group, we have new

classes starting in February

including adult ballet, beginners Spanish lessons and art and craft classes,

and more bookings are coming in.

Visit our website seacourt hall.org.uk for more details of what’s on and

information on how to book the hall for you class, meeting, or party. Do also

give us feedback on the hall at seacourt.hall@gmail.com and tell us how

we can continue to improve facilities for our community.

Lorna Berrett, Chair of Seacourt Hall Management Committee

Recycling properly – can we wash away

our consumer guilt and learn to love the

Binzone?

In Botley, we’re great at recycling! England classifies

45.7% of its household waste as recycling (it’s only

25.8% in the US) and Vale of White Horse District

Council (VoWH) has recently been ranked 4th best recycling district in

England, which is certainly something to be proud of.

The Binzone beckons

If you are surprised by this success, or feel that you need more

information on how you can recycle better, then fear not because deep

within the VoWH website machine there is a handy tool for you! It’s

called the Binzone. Here you can type in the item that you are

considering throwing away and it will spit out not only which of your bins

it should go into, but also what day the collection of that bin is next due.

Don’t forget to wash and squash plastic bottles and cans, and to wash

glass jars – items contaminated by food, etc, may be rejected.

Did you know that, over and above the usual items, VoWH residents

can even put small electrical items out next to their black bins? Textiles

too can go in clear plastic bags and be put out alongside your green

bins. True convenience! VoWH have done well to make it so easy for us

to do the right thing. But although recycling is better than just using

something once, it is still not enough.

But then where does our rubbish go?

Generally the plastics that we recycle are recycled into non recyclable

items. So not single use, just twice used. Not the great infinite cycle we

conjure in our mind’s eye when we see the familiar symbol stamped on

so much of our packaging.

The items that we put in our recycling bins are traded on the

international commodities market. In 2018 China, one of the biggest

importers of our recyclable waste, closed its doors to international

imports of waste plastic. England then upped consignments to other

South East Asian countries who, apart from becoming saturated, have

much lower health and safety and environmental standards than we do

here, and are also expected to ban imports of international solid waste

very soon. Not only this but there is still embodied energy in recycling

plastic – imagine your little yogurt pot being shipped half way across the

world to be sorted and shredded and melted before it’s ready for one

more reincarnation!

The three Rs – Refuse, Reduce, Re-Use

The price for plastics and card has plummeted, and we are not ready to

deal with all of our recycling within our own borders yet. Biffa, who have

the contract with VoWH to collect our recycling, say that they “recycle as

much as possible in the UK and are investing in their recycling facilities

to increase capacity to do this, such as a new PET facility in Seaham

which opens in 2020.” Which is timely and necessary, but not yet in

place.

So as things currently stand – yes it is better to recycle than just throw

in general waste. But recycling will not wash away our consumer guilt.

Much better would be to follow the other Rs, which are: Refuse, Reduce

and Re-use before resorting to the penultimate option of recycling.

Emma Gordon

Botley Running Group.

I’ve been a runner (on and off) for

several years now, doing the odd

10k here and there, usually with my

son Charlie. Charlie then went off to

university and I found that I was

lacking the motivation to get my

trainers on and pound the streets.

So, last summer, I posted on the

Botley Facebook page to find out if

anyone was interested in starting up

a Botley running group with the

emphasis on all abilities being

welcome to join. I think I used the tag

line: “I’m 50 with a belly!” I got a good response and we started straight

away, meeting two days after I first suggested the group. We don’t have

any set time and day to run, we have a WhatsApp group and, when

anyone fancies going out we just suggest it to the group.

There are twenty of us at the moment and small groups of us get

together about two or three times a week, doing runs/jogs from two

miles upwards. We have done one organised run together so far, the

Silverstone 10k, where six of us took part, and we expect to do many

more this year. We really do not take ourselves too seriously, we are

just a group of similarly minded people (the photo shows Ruth, Charlie,

Andy, Scott and Sarah) who like to go out for a jog now and then. If you

would like to join us, just drop me a text 07943 082897. Andy Duffy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cumnor Choral Society Christmas Concert

A real treat in November at Cumnor Choral Society’s Concert to hear

Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. They were joined by Great Milton and

Wheatley Singers and accompanied by the Hurst Sinfonia. As usual it

was a stunning performance. We were also treated to two orchestral

pieces by Bach – Sinfonia from Cantata No 29 and Air and Fugue from

Orchestral Suite No.3.This has to have been one of their best concerts.

Peter Foster certainly gets the best out of his singers. For a small choir

to attract such talented soloists is surely a feather in their caps. As usual

they provided a sumptuous after concert buffet. Clare Isaacs

Scouting at Christmas

On the first weekend in December, the 4th Oxford Scout Group came

together for one of the highlights of the year – the Christmas Camp! Around

80 Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, plus leaders and helpers, headed up to

Youlbury for a weekend of fun, learning and adventure!

After finding dorms and unpacking bags, all scouts, cubs and beavers were

divided into mixed-aged teams with a Christmas-themed name (all too often

involving Brussels sprouts). Points were available for those teams that

performed well in the camp activities!

The weekend’s adventures then commenced. Groups headed out for a

torch lit scavenger hunt in the camp grounds, followed by camp fire songs

and that all-time favourite hot chocolate with marshmallows. Everyone then

settled down for the night, knowing that Saturday would be jam-packed with

fun activities.

After a hearty breakfast, Saturday morning started with room inspections,

earning points towards the team totals. Everyone made an effort, though

certain rooms stood out – the Beaver girls’ room was particularly tidy. The

main activities then started, with some lucky teams heading outside into the

cold, crisp morning to take part in winter Olympic events, and have a go at

pioneering – the art of using sticks

and ropes to build structures strong

enough to stand on! Other teams

picked up cameras to snap frosty

shots of the landscape (or each

other), whist others stayed inside to

try out circus skills, computer

programming and make t-shirts and

badges to take home.

After such a busy day, everyone was

hungry, which was just as well as a

group of parents had cooked a full

Christmas dinner, complete with

turkey (and vegetarian option), roast

veg, stuffing, Xmas pudding and

mince pies. Then it was time to sit

back and enjoy the traditional leader

panto, this year telling the story of a

poor girl, her rather evil and eccentric

relatives and the opportunity she gets

to improve her life situation – yes, you’ve guessed it! – Cinderella! It’s

probably not going to make it to the Playhouse anytime soon, but it was

enjoyed by all there, not least for the extraordinary costumes!

Cubs and Beavers spent

Sunday morning making

dens, trying archery and

picking up team points

towards the camp totals.

Scouts, meanwhile, set

about the fun task of

dredging a stream as part of

their site service badge.

Following a pasta lunch,

points were totalled, and

team winners confirmed, and

then parents arrived to find

out what their young people

had been doing for two days, and see if they had won anything in the raffle.

And finally, it was time to head off home, tired but with memories to last

until next year’s camp!

James Gagg, 4th Oxford Assistant Beaver Leader

Randoms

Kennington Memory Club

Kennington Memory Club is your local Day Care Centre for people living

with dementia. The club is small (no more than ten members per day)

with three members of staff and up to two volunteers per session, so we

can offer activities to suit our members, as well as the personal attention

which is so important. Lunch can be provided at a modest extra cost,

and drinks and snacks are served. We can cope with mobility problems,

provided not more than one helper is needed for transfer from

wheelchair to chair. The venue is wheelchair accessible, there is a

‘disabled’ toilet and ample parking.

Two open days are coming up when you can find out what we do. They

are Monday February 10th and Thursday February13th at our usual

venue, the Methodist Church, Upper Road, Kennington OX1 5LR. If you

are a dementia professional, living with someone afflicted or a carer, this

is for you. All are welcome and there is no need to book. If you, or

someone you look after, is interested in joining the club, our Organiser,

Helen, will arrange for one or more “taster days” before you decide

whether the club is right for you. We currently have places available for

new members. For information, phone 07852 883 496 or visit our

website www.kenningtonmemoryclub.org.uk.

Cumnor Choral Society Easter Concert

Following the success of their Christmas Concert (see page 18) Cumnor

Choral Society have put out an early warning that their Easter Concert

on 21 March will include Haydn’s Little Organ Mass, Mendelsohn’s

“Hear My Prayer” and Faure’s “Cantique de Jean Racine”. Tickets from

Caroline Cockman on 07961 900670

Have you taken the PPG patient survey?

The Botley and Kennington Patient Participation Group’s survey of

patients’ experiences of using GP services continues throughout

February. Paper copies are available at both Botley and Kennington

surgeries or the survey can be completed on line at www.smartsurvey.

co.uk/s/YourexperienceofusingGPservices/

North Hinksey Art Group

Our latest exhibition is at the SS Peter & Paul church in Botley, from

Monday 3rd February until Friday 3 April 2020. This is part of the

ongoing exhibitions organised and hung by Botley Arts.

We are a small and friendly art group, where a social environment with

regular meetings, with tea and biscuits, is crucial to making our art.

Creativity and development are encouraged with a new subject every

week in the classes led by Christina Wartke-Dunbar. The exhibition

shows a wide range of those different subjects – flower and animal

studies, interiors, landscapes, seascapes and local scenes. The

pictures featured are by ten different students from the class, and

employ a number of different media: pen and wash, pastel, oil on

canvas, and (of course) watercolour.

We welcome you to explore and enjoy our work in the church between

the hours 10am and 4pm. Details will be available should you wish to

purchase a picture, and we look forward to your comments in the

visitors' book.

Jennie Hopkins

Make Botleyclean again! OxClean, 28 February – 1 March

This year, OxClean's annual city-wide litter pick will take place from

Friday 28 February to Sunday 1 March. If you would like to organise a

group of people to pick litter, OxClean will advertise your event; provide

bags, litter pickers and high vis vests; and organise for the bags of litter

to be taken away by the city's waste collectors. Please see

https://www.oxclean.org.uk/. You can join any of the groups shown on

the website, or contact the Sprout if you want something local. We will,

as every year, be picking litter in the Seacourt Nature Reserve on

Saturday 29 February, 2-4pm. Do come along! We will meet at 2pm at

the entrance to the nature reserve, between Richer Sounds and Wickes

on the Botley Road. Wear sturdy shoes and bring gloves.

Riki Therivel and Tim O'Hara

LEAP INTO ACTION! 29Th February

Seacourt Hall and Ss Peter and Paul Church Hall, 11am to 4pm. See

what’s being done locally to fight climate change, and get some ideas

on how to play your part.

Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details

to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.

1st Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Dean Court Community Centre Thur 6–7.30 Fiona Wheeler,

firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com

2nd Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6:15-7:45 Alison

Griffin 2ndbotleybrownies@outlook.com

4th Oxford Scout Group

Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts

Scout Hall, Arnolds Way; mail@thefourth.org.uk

Website: http://www.thefourth.org.uk/

15th Oxford Scout Group

Boys and girls welcome

Fridays, cubs 6.30-8, scouts 8-9.30, Botley Baptist Hall.

Amy Cusden 07887 654386 xvoxfordscouts@yahoo.co.uk

Baby & Toddler Group Tues/Thurs 9.15–11, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

Badminton Club

Thurs 7-8pm at Matthew Arnold Sports Hall. Garry Clark

0777 3559 314 garryclark13@gmail.com

BikeSafe. B4044 community

path campaign

Wants to connect Botley to Eynsham. Meets every 6-8

weeks. Contact via website B4044path.org

Books on Wheels R.V.S. Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 248142

Botley Boys & Girls F.C.

Football teams from ages 8-16

Jason Barley Ox. 242926 jbarley1@sky.com or Brendan

Byrne 792531 brendan.byrne999@gmail.com

Botley Health Walks Wednesday 9.30am. Contact Briony 01865 246497

Botley Library

01865 248142. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,

otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).

Botley Singers

Thur 7.30, St Andrew’s Church, Dean Court. Angela Astley-

Penny Ox.242189 angastpen@aol.com

Branches Café, Westway

Place, Open to All 8am-3pm,

Open for young people 3-5 daily, Th. eves 7–9 Tel:01865

251115 www.branchesyouth.uk Facebook Instagram

Community Fridge

Mon–Sat 9–5, Sun 11–5. Riki Therivel 07759 135811

Cumnor Choral Society

Rehearsals Friday 7.45 to 9.45 pm John May 07795

054142 or www.cumnorchoralsociety.wordpress.com

Cumnor Chess Club

Thurs 7–9pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett 862788

www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk

Cumnor & District Historical

Society

Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old School.

01865 724808

Cumnor Gardening Club http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/ or phone , 01865 721026

Harmony InSpires, Ladies'

Acappella Singing Group

Wed 7.30 at Appleton village hall. C. Casson 01235 831352

or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk

Hill End Volunteer Team

Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org, call

01865-863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk

Let’s Sing! – singing group Weds 2pm, WOCC, details Emily 07969 522368

or email emformusic@outlook.com

Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc

Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk

North Hinksey Preschool and

Childcare Clubs

Mon–Fri 7.45am –6.00 pm. 01865 794287 or email

nhps.manager1@gmail.com

N Hinksey Art Group Weds 10 – 12.00 W.I. Hall Tel: Christina 07931 707997

N Hinksey Bellringers Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451

N Hinksey Conservation

Volunteers

Meets at weekends. Contact Voirrey Carr 07798743121

voirreyc@aol.com

N Hinksey, Friends of Annual Cricket Match & Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.

N Hinksey Parish Council Colin Ryde, tel 861992, clerk@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

N Hinksey Youth Club

Wednesdays at Arnold's Way pavilion, call Daz on 07791

212866 or see Facebook

Over Sixties Lunch Club

Every other Thursday. Seacourt Hall. Viv Smith 01865

241539 or Jackie Warner 01865 721386

Oxford Flood Alliance R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035

Oxfd Flower Arranging Club 4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: 01865 865259

Oxford Harmony Men's

Acappella singing group

Meets Wednesdays 7.45 pm at Seacourt Hall Contact

pro@oxfordharmony.co.uk

Oxford Otters

Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays, twice

monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420

Oxford Rugby Club

Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com

Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.

Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis

Club, N Hinksey

Family club: Melanie Riste 848658

melanie_riste@hotmail.com

Raleigh Park, Friends of raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk

Saturdads

Botley Bridges

Fun activities and trips for Dads and under 5’s

10 am–noon 1st Sat of month. Tel: 243955

Seacourt Hall management

committee

Michael Cockman 07766 317691

michael.cockman@gmail.com.

Shotokan Karate club 6+ WOCC twice weekly Martyn King 07836 646450

Walking for Health

2nd & 4th Saturdays 9.45 Botley Library.

Alan 07941 610913

Weight Watchers

Thursdays 6pm at SS Peter & Paul Church Hall Banso

tel: 07779 253899 bansob@aol.com

West Oxford Bowls Club Contact details on www.westoxfordbowlsclub.co.uk

West Oxford Taekwon Do

Club

Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall 01865

570291 www.wotkd.co.uk

West Oxford U3A (Uni of the 3rd Age) http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/

West Way Day Centre

Mon & Fri 10–3pm, Field House, 07740 611971.

oxfordshirehub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

Women’s Institute (Botley) Liz Manson, 244175 or l iz.manson@virginmedia.com

Yoga (gentle) at WOCC

Fri 10.15 - 11.30 (more energetic on Mon 6.30 – 7.45)

yogawithjacqueline@hotmail.com